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I woke up to an insistent tapping on the door, as though the person who was determined to wake me up was also determined not to draw attention to themselves while doing so. I knew immediately who it was, even as I groaned and dragged myself off the bed. I passed a mirror on the wall, not daring to look at it before I opened the door.
His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. “Kaiya…”
“Yeah, yeah,” I grumbled, dragging a tired hand through my hair.
He moved, stepping into my room and forcing me to take a step back as he closed the door. He towered over me.
“You’re not well.”
“No,” I agreed with a sigh.
“You should have told me.”
“Why?”
“Because it matters to me.”
I didn’t have anything to say to that. I wanted to have a witty comeback, or something flippant to say, but I couldn’t seem to manage anything more than just staring at him.
“Come, Kaiya.” He reached for my hand and guided me across the room. We were halfway inside the adjoining bathroom when I had the presence of mind to ask why.
“Because you need a bath.”
“Are you saying I smell?” I joked, halfheartedly.
He looked up, meeting my eyes in the bathroom mirror.
“No, jagiya. I’m saying it’ll make you feel better. Sit.” He closed the lid of the toilet and gently took me by the arms to sit me down, before moving over to the narrow tub and fiddling with the faucets, until water began to stream from the taps. I didn’t even have the energy to protest when he called me jagiya. Didn’t even try to pretend that I minded. I watched him potter about the small room, as if it was normal for him. Normal that he was here.
“You have no…” he broke off, miming a gesture like he was trying to pour something into the bath.
“Bubble bath?” I supplied in a croaky voice.
“Yes, that.” He frowned, looking about as if a bottle of it might appear out of thin air.
“No,” I scoffed.
“Why not?” He sounded mildly outraged.
“Joon, I’ve been using travel-sized bottles of body wash, or whatever the hotels put in the bathrooms. I’ve not been carrying around fancy bubble bath for the rare occasions our rooms even come with a bath.”
He made a noise in the back of his throat, brow furrowing. “Wait here.”
I didn’t have time to ask him, ‘what for’, before he left. I heard the door to my room click a moment later, while I sat on the closed toilet, bemused. I eyed the tub warily, but it looked to be in no danger of overflowing. For now.
He was back long before I thought of getting up to check on the tub. He was breathing heavier as though he’d run.
“Did you steal my room key?” I narrowed my eyes at him, as the thought occurred to me.
“Yes.” He shrugged, and then pulled a bottle from his back pocket, uncapping it and pouring it into the running water. Immediately, the room was filled with the scent of eucalyptus and lavender.
“You ran all the way back to your room to get that?”
“No. I ran all the way to Woojin-hyung’s room. He gets congested easily. Eucalyptus will be good for you.”
“You stole Woojin’s bubble bath?” And the thought of it was so absurd that I began to laugh, but it got tangled somewhere between my lungs and my throat, coming out in a wracking cough. I doubled over, wheezing.
I felt his hands rubbing soothing patterns over my back. I braced my arms on my knees and laid my head down, taking breaths as deep as I could. This felt too intimate, too much for two people who hadn’t decided what they were.
